John Rawle

Angling Charter Captain

Bradwell on Sea, Essex

My boat, "The Daphne Carole", is based at Bradwell Marina, in Essex.  It is a 33 foot Blythe Catamaran powered by two 315hp turbo Yanmar diesel engines giving a cruising speed of nearly 20 knots reaching most of the fishing marks in under an hour.

The boat is licensed for ten anglers and has an on deck, flush toilet and a fully enclosed crew cab to seat 10 anglers in comfort plus a massive fishing area all around the boat.
Species in Season

Best months for species in orange

January - codling and thornbacks

February - codling and thornbacks

March - codling, thornbacks, dogs, whiting, pouting and dabs

April - cod, thornbacks, dogs, whiting and early bass

May - thornbacks, stingrays, bass, smoothounds, tope, dogs and flatfish

June - tope , thornbacks, stingrays, bass, smoothounds, dogs, mackerel, flatfish and eels.

July - thornbacks, bass,  smoothounds, dogs, mackerel, flatfish, eels and stingrays

August - thornbacks, bass, smoothounds, dogs, mackerel, flatfish, eels and stingrays

September - thornbacks, bass, smoothounds, dogs, whiting and eels

October - thornbacks, big bass, whiting, cod and codling

November - thornbacks, big bass, whiting, cod and codling

December - cod, whiting, dabs and  thornbacks

Bellropes Bed & Breakfast

Click on the Bellropes link to see the website

or book a breakfast at Bellropes before you go fishing

"Daphne Carole"
Bradwell on Sea is situated at the mouth of the Blackwater Estuary, on the northern edge of the outer Thames Estuary and Southern North Sea. The boat is moored at Bradwell Marina which is walk on walk off and non tidal and has secure parking. The marina is 45 minutes from junction 29 of the M25 or an hour and a quarter from London.

The Fishing

I was one of the pioneers of uptiding and this method of fishing is very successful in the shallow waters of this area.  The average depth is about 40 feet with a lot of shallow sandbanks and gulleys.  All of the fishing is light tackle, with light leads on 15 to 20 pound line and either uptiders or light 12 to 20 pound test boat rods.

Bradwell has a national reputation for big tope.  My boat holds the current record with a fish of 82 ½ lb. We have also had 14 others over  70 lb.  Most of the tope at Bradwell are over 40 lb.  The season runs from late May to the end of June.  I also held the British stingray record with a fish of 65½ lb, which has now been beaten by a bigger fish from Bradwell of 74 lb.  The peak seasons for all the other species are listed on the left.

In most months of the year you will have a variety of fish.  I will be on hand to help and advise any novices on the best way to go about catching all the different species using different methods, baits and tactics which will apply on the day.  I can customize the day to do whatever you wish.  If your priority is one particular specie of fish or just a general mixed bag just let me know.

I also do corporate days, which can include bed and breakfast either before or after your trip and a full days fishing with everything laid on for your convenience.

Most days are about 8 hours and the average steaming time to the fishing grounds is approximately one hour leaving you six hours of fishing.  Longer trips can be arranged when booking.  Because Bradwell is in a sheltered estuary very few trips are cancelled.  We can usually find some sheltered water in the Blackwater Estuary or Dengie Flats so your day can still go ahead even if the wind blows.  These inshore waters can at times be very productive for bass, cod, whiting and thornbacks.

The boat is equipped with a full range of electronic aids and a huge array of PENN's latest tackle which is available for anybody to use if they wish.  All of the bait necessary for the day can be supplied at extra cost by prior arrangement.  The boats galley can supply tea or coffee and heat up your pies, curries, stews etc. The departure times are usually between 7am and 9am depending on grounds to be fished on the day.

Prices

Full charter of boat £375 fully inclusive of bait and tackle.

Individuals £50 per head fully inclusive of bait and tackle.

Tope fishing £65 per head, including eels for bait, 8 anglers max on boat.

Now taking bookings for 2008/9

for tope, smoothounds, bass, skate and cod

Gift Vouchers are available for Special Occasion or Birthday presents

£50 - includes a days fishing and bait and tackle hire for one person

Ring John now 01621 776445

 

How to Book

Please telephone to discuss your requirements and available dates.  Once a date has been agreed sent a short note of confirmation with your deposit of £100 for full boat charter or £25 for individual bookings.  This will confirm the booking, then telephone one to two days before the trip to finalize sailing times and the weather forecasts.

Any deposits on trips cancelled for bad weather by myself, can be rolled on to a future booking. Trips cancelled by yourselves for any other reason within a month of the trip will forfeit the deposit and if cancelled within 7 days of the trip full payment will be liable, unless the trip is re-booked.

Advise for trip organisers.

Book trips well in advance to get the best tides.  Ask for at least 50% of the money from your colleagues before the trip is booked and full payment after the booking is confirmed to be sure the full charter fee is met if somebody lets you down at short notice.

Best tackle for the area.

A standard uptide rod or 12 to 20 lb boat rod, a small multiplyer and 20 lb line with breakaway leads from 150 to 210 gm and 1/0 to 6/0 hooks.

We run a Bed and Breakfast in Bradwell on Sea called "Bellropes", why not book in before or after your fishing trip and enjoy a bit of time to yourself in the quiet and peaceful surroundings at Bellropes.

Better than all the rest.....

John Rawle

Bellropes, Maldon Road, Bradwell on Sea, Essex. CM0 7HY  England

Tel. 01621 776445 or Mobile 07860 920 964

Email    bellropes@btinternet.com